R.I.P. Milton Friedman

[naga_sadu]

governments, not corporations make pot illegal.

So Hearst, DuPont etc., are the government Dude, read your marijuana history. No government...for SURE NOT the US gov...is stupid enough to illegalise a natural resource. Unless of course, they're acting on behalf of someone else....

SO tell me, which years was Hearst the president of the USofA?

 

[Gert Lush]

I'm with naga_sadu on this one.
Even though Friedman's neo-liberal policies may occasionally look good on paper, or in theory, their diabolical hypocrisy lets them down and makes a mockery of their "good intentions".

The idea of monetarism, whereby government supplies the money needed to the economy, and then gets out of the way is TOO OFTEN changed to:- the government supplies tons of cash (as contracts) to the big corps, no questions aked, and makes sure that their monopolies cannot be challenged. Often on pain of death. Look at the unspeakable exploitation of places like the Congo. In the end these "neo-liberal" (actually more like "old-vampire") theories become flimsy excuses and apologies for grand-scale piracy.

And the likes of Pinochet and co. end up feeding their people "neo-liberalism" from the barrel of a gun. So much for government non-intervention. Of course, overall, those of us that are Westrners, tend to benefit (a bit, at least) from corporate rapacity, so there's very little motivation to look at it honestly and full-on.

Eh...neoliberalism is the school of thought Friedman preached...you're arguing about Milton Friedman without even knowing the name of his economic model ??? ?? ?

Heh, heh, it's sometimes mind-boggling the level of blind devotion people like Firedman get. Almost like a religion. But of course that's not fashionable any more so all kinds of junk tends to take it's place.

 

[Gert Lush]

Singapore

Heh, heh, AKA, the Gates of Hell!
And the road that leads to them paved in neo-liberal biotech startups.

BTW, very well made points about cannabis getting banned by any govt that embraces neo-vampisrim. India, Cambodia, Thailand, Central Asian Republics.
Wonder how long it will take for the penny to drop.

 

[naga_sadu]

Heh, heh, AKA, the Gates of Hell!

Ha ha damned right on that one man!!!! My stay there (biz trip) was like burning in the lowest depths of Dante's inferno for eternity. I didn't have anything against the SINGAPOREANS par se but the SINGAPOREAN SYSTEM was/ is...... FUCKED UP! Fucked up to a point I said FUCK MY BUSINESS TRIP.

At the end (prematurely ended by myself) of my stay, I reached my boiling point. I prematurely cut short that visit, even if it resulted in the cancellation of a purchase order......a hefty one too (by Asian standards at least)......

Singapore is a stoner's hellhole, that's for sure. UAE is kinda like Singapore too, but thankfully, Iran is just a stone throw away- GREAT weed scene there And getting an Iranian visa w/ an Indian passport is quite easy. That Kinda made UAE livable...

The most fucked up thing 'bout Singapore is how they KILL a FAMILY MAN simply because he had 200gs of pot! This is inconceivable for someone, esp from South Asia considering the legal possession limit here is 120 grams (if u buy from licensed shops). And I thought that introducing legal limits is bullshit and oppressive!!!!!! The poor wife of the man is widowed and the children are left to grow w/o a father. FUCKED UP SHIT! And the police, go on this sob story on how a family became shattered because of pot! The notion of MURDERING their bread winner over a bloody plant conveniently seems to evade the reasoning and logic.

Wonder how long it will take for the penny to drop.

The scene is improving, at least in India. Sadly, in Laos and Cambodia, it's deteriorating. Here, the bhang shops are back- though not in all states and not w/ the same quantities as the pre-1989 levels. The legal limit for pot is 120 grams. Things are going to the better, but we still have a LONG way to go before we hit the pre-89 levels. I feel really bad for my Laotian and Cambodian counterparts, tho......

Oh yea, in neighbouring Pakistan, the weed scene KICKS ASS too. But I suppose that's because outside the citys, no law can seriously get enforced. Maybe the tribal system of social management is a better one than the modern, sophisticated one?

The Central Asian Republics have also taken a HUGE nosedive in this regard, especially Uzbekistan. I was there when it was still a part of the USSR. You shoulda seen the town Termez- near the Afghan border. I could go score some GREAT charas (hasheesh) and the "deals", the smoking...were done in full public view. Old dudes. Young dudes. Medium age dudes. All smoking. Grampas puffing loads offa balconies? You BET! It wasn't uncommon to see a bunch of people toke while AK wielding "Red Army" soldiers were standing just a few feet away. I myself indulged in some quality charas just a few feet away from a Soviet soldier. I drove a Minsk from Tashkant to Termez. On the way, I could see LOTSA patches of greenery...almost always...growing w/ ganja along the Tashkant-Termez route.

The guys I bought from (YES- there WAS cash transactions between people) weren't rich driving beamers. They didn't have cars, I agree. But they were clothed, sheltered and well fedp- 3x times a day, eventhough all they were doing was subsistance level farming.

Now...in Uzbekistan, ALMOST ALL the weed and hash is gone. And has been replaced by pimps and underage hookers. The patches of greenery which once held our heavenly herb now only holds billboards of the UN drug eradication programme. Nowadays, in the chowks of Termez, old dudes instead of puffing away to glory from balconies, put up fake war medals, act mentally impaired...just to beg for some loose change. Some good all those heavy doses of neoliberalism must've done....

Either ways, peace out and smoke fatties man!!!

 

[belfast]

Rip indeed

Rip indeed

Milton Friedman will be missed.
Without him the Celtic Tiger in Ireland would not have happened.